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Here! Now! In the moment! Paddling in the middle of a fast moving stream of news and information. Here & Now is a daily news magazine, bringing you the news that breaks after "Morning Edition" and before "All Things Considered."

Ice disk freezes out Shore man’s attempt to hack peace sign into it

A naturally occurring ice disk that gained international fame appears to be freezing in place following a stretch of frigid weather, Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2019, in Westbrook, Maine. The giant ice disk on the Presumpscot River now has its own webcam. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)

A giant disk of river ice has proved too much for a Jersey Shore attention-seeker who tried to carve a peace sign on it.

Christopher Angelo, 44, of Lavallette went onto the ice Thursday with a hatchet, saying he wanted to transform the natural phenomenon into a spinning work of art. But he was unable to get the disk spinning, and his peace sign came up short, too.

The man who chipped a line across the Westbrook Ice Disk says he is trying to create a giant peace sign. He says he’s not trying to destroy it. He says he loves the ice disk. pic.twitter.com/1rwU3iMUNt

The massive 100-year-diameter disk appeared last week in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook, Maine, mesmerizing onlookers as its spun slowly before coming to a frozen stop Tuesday. Stories, photos and videos have been shared widely.

Drone video shows a huge, almost perfectly-shaped ice disk floating in the Presumpscot River in Westbrook, Maine. The mass of ice that resembles a moon slowly rotates as currents pass in the river. https://t.co/5UOvjC1xcTpic.twitter.com/mmrwzPvw1a

Police declined to intervene Thursday, saying it wasn’t a crime to hack at river ice. “Unusual? Yes. Why someone would come here from New Jersey to chop up an ice disk is beyond me,” said Westbrook Police Department Captain Sean Lally.

Angelo has a history of staging public stunts.

In Jan. 2013, less than three months after Superstorm Sandy struck New Jersey, Angelo was arrested after he climbed the Star Jet, the Seaside Heights rollercoaster that fell into the ocean, and hoisted an American flag to raise awareness about the slow recovery.

On the first year anniversary of Sandy, Angelo was once again arrested after he climbed up the remnants of the SkyCoaster in Seaside Heights and placed another American flag at the top.